Milestone 1 Group Project Report

A report submitted to
Prof. Tanvi Gupta

In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the course

Marketing Research

By Group E7

Himani Chhabra (2111114)

Taniskha Gaikwad (2111091)

Sagar Singla (2111243)

Jaykumar Makwana (2111164)

J Sushma sri (2111121)

Section E

On

12-01-2022
Introduction: Upon arriving at IIMU we find that there is a need for coffee services separately
rather than the one which students get from the mess or bakery. It was necessary for us to ideate
and know the preference of our batch mates and IIMU Community members. For this we
decided to incorporate them in the Market Research Project. We plan to gain insights using
Focus group discussions, Depth interviews, and also a survey questionnaire using rating-based
questions to understand if the needs are fulfilled. Further we would want to know what the most
preferred brand and their habits in terms of coffee consumption.

Research Topic Chosen: Opening Nescafe services inside the campus

Original Business Objective: With the help of this research, we intend to find the interest of the
students of IIM Udaipur for coffee and a cafe on campus

Modified Business Objective: With the help of the market research and the survey we
conducted on the students by taking DI and FGD, we intend to find not just interest of the
students of IIM Udaipur for coffee and a cafe on campus, but also how to fulfill their
expectations in terms of quality, taste and preferences for various flavors.

Research Problem/Objective: To understand the tastes of consumers in coffee, what type they
prefer, and the reason behind their choice of coffee. Accordingly, set up the cafe services in the
campus.

Focus Group Discussion (FGD) findings:

The FGD was conducted on January 11 at 5.30 p.m. among 8 students belonging to the IIMU
community. The average age of the group is 24.25 years. The group was diverse in terms of
gender and with regards to their geographic backgrounds as well. All the members of the group
were well versed with drinking coffee. Almost all members were exposed to drinking coffee at
the average age of 17 and most of them started as a result of staying alert and awake during exam
season.

From the discussion we can get to know that the amount of coffee intake increases during exam
season while on other days it remains between 0-1 cups per day. Most of the members also
preferred hot coffee over cold coffee and were very much open to drinking new flavoured coffee
as they found drinking the same old plain coffee repetitive. All members except two preferred
slightly bitter coffee rather than sweet, and mostly with the addition of milk to it. Also everyone
except one member prioritised taste and quality over price. To quote one member “For me the
taste and fragrance matters” while one member said “taste as well as the foam you get on top”.

Speaking of brands, all members unanimously agreed that brand doesn’t matter to them as long
as the coffee served to them satisfies their taste buds. We also inferred the fact that long ago
coffee was seen as a drink to enhance your status, however today among the youth that no longer
and the perception of coffee remains the same as chai. However, unlike tea-lovers, members of
the FGD did not seem to be habituated to have coffee every morning or to have it at least once a
day. Thus, for them they did not have an ideal time to drink coffee and their caffeine intake
mostly depended on the mood and weather on a daily basis. The reason for this could also be
attributed to the fact that the students have an unpredictable and hectic schedule and hence their
coffee timings differ. Also due their busy schedules, even though some members prefer making
coffee on their own, they do not seem to have the time and hence resort to buying coffee from
the bakery. The only time they are found to be making their own coffee is early in the morning or
midnight when the bakery is closed. Despite the college mess serving coffee between 5 to 6.30
p.m everyday, members were found buying coffee from the bakery as per their mood and
convenience.

Also given their hectic schedule, coffee here is no longer a hangout drink of sorts, students most
likely go and buy themselves a cup of coffee if they are low on energy, need to stay up while
studying. But this was found to be true for people who are currently on campus. Two members
of the group who were at home did not have any particular reason to have coffee. “For me there
is no such occasion or purpose to have coffee,” says one member who is at home. As for pricing
almost all agreed to pay less that Rs.30 for a normal cup of hot coffee with milk except one and
she quotes, “Quality is a major thing for me in coffee, I don’t want to just drink hot milk with a
pinch of coffee so for me the price can be high” And as for other varieties in coffee such as
cappuccino, mocha, espresso, etc everyone is willing to pay slightly more than their normal
price.

Talking about serving coffee on campus all members were of the same view that the campus
does require a dedicated place to serve coffee that needs to run 24/7. However when asked if
they would like a proper cafe on campus they did not find it to be that beneficial as due to time
constraints students rarely get to sit around for long hours. They would rather prefer a takeaway
or a pick-up service than sitting in a cafe. Thus, we conclude that a campus does require a coffee-
selling vendor who serves coffee and its varieties and is open even post midnight.

Findings from Depth Interview (DI) :

1. Jatin: Jatin was one of the candidates whom we interviewed. In the Depth Interview,
Jatin seemed to be very interested in the idea of opening a Coffee shop in IIM Udaipur
Campus. Currently, Jatin is facing the issue that he can only get coffee from the Mess, the
Bakery in the D2 area, or from Paaji ki Rasoi at night when they are open but he didn’t
quite like the taste many a time and he also faced issues like unavailability of coffee
when he wanted. Jatin’s responses to the questions asked in the interview suggested that
he likes drinking coffee regularly. He also stated that he prefers the Nescafe Brand in
comparison to other coffee brands, but it is not available on the campus and therefore
Jatin has to compromise and choose other coffee brands. Due to this he has changed his
coffee consumption pattern and prefers to drink less coffee from the campus. Jatin is not
quite satisfied with the coffee that is served at the campus and believes that having a
Nescafe store at the campus would help him greatly in having a cup of coffee whenever
he feels like having one. He strongly supported the idea of the campus having its own
Nescafe store.

2. Monil: In the in- depth interview with Monil, it was very clear with his answers that he is
a coffee lover and would love to have it almost daily if the taste satisfies his taste buds.
He is an engineer and was staying in Ahmedabad for almost all his life before he joined
IIM Udaipur. There in Ahmedabad, he used to have 2-3 cups of home made coffee in a
day on an average, which depicts his passion for coffee. Reason for the same is that he
likes the taste and coffee helps him gain energy to work at a better pace and with more
focus, especially at night. When asked about the current scenario in the campus, his
coffee intake has been reduced massively because of the non-availability of coffee with
good taste. He tried getting the coffee from mess, bakery and the in-campus restaurants,
but it was either the taste or the quality that was not satisfactory. His most preferred
brand is Nescafe and especially when it's home made but he definitely likes the idea of
having a cafe service at the campus because of the tight schedule that he has which does
not allow him to make his own cup of coffee.
3. Sahil: Sahil is 22 years old originally from Delhi but is currently staying in IIM Udaipur.
He has always been a big fan of coffee and has been consuming it for the last 8 years.
Earlier when he was at home he used to consume it 2-3 times a day because caffeine
intake helps him to wake up late at night during the exams. Apart from the exam times,
his intake of coffee has always been somewhat moderate. He likes to go out whenever he
craves coffee rather than be at home and make it on his own. His preference is more
towards the coffee from different outlets rather than home because he likes to enjoy his
coffee with a good ambiance. Here in the campus, the ambiance is missing because of
non availability of any cafe. Along with this, he is not satisfied with the taste here as well.
There is no price constraint for him if the taste and ambiance is as per his preference.
When asked about his preferred brand, he favours Nescafe and Bru and would like to
have a cafe in the campus so as to enjoy drinking coffee with a seating arrangement.
Along with that, he would like to increase his coffee intake too which has been reduced
significantly.

4. Ritvik - Ritvik is a twenty three year old resident of Haryana. He graduated from SRM
University and is currently pursuing MBA in IIM Udaipur. He is a coffee lover who
drinks coffee regularly but in a limited amount. He started drinking coffee while he was
in college, where he used to hang out with his friends at a cafe inside the campus. He
prefers to drink coffee during the evening and when asked why, He said “At the end of
the day, I like to sit quietly and drink coffee, reflecting on the experiences of the day”.
During the Interview, it is evident that the most important aspect for him is the coffee's
quality and flavour. And he's willing to pay whatever it takes, no matter how much it
costs. To him, brand value is very important. He loves bru coffee, and his decision to try
it is influenced by a bru advertisement in which a kid insists on her grandmother to drink
coffee after reading in the news that coffee is good for health and longevity. When asked
about ambience, he prefers a calm place where he can spend time with his friends. He
likes handmade coffee with biscuits, cakes. He believes that having a cafe on campus
with a pleasant atmosphere that satisfies the taste buds of coffee lovers is a must.

5. Saumya Bansal - She is 24 old who is a coffee lover. She has been drinking Coffee since
10th class & can drink Coffee any time of the day. She drinks Coffee 2 cups (standard
 size) of the day regularly. Her intake increases to 4 cups during the exams. Coffee
refreshes her and helps her maintain focus during her studies. She prefers her own
handmade or of her mother’s hand. She likes that every ingredient like sugar, milk, and
coffee powder is correct. She like Starbucks coffee. She has an issue with campus coffee
because sometimes it gets sweet or is not as strong. For her brand value of the Coffee,
ambience also matters. The most important aspect is the taste of the Coffee. She prefers
homemade Coffee with coffee powder. She has tried Nescafe, Bru, Country-Bean but
only likes Nescafe and has tried many powder varieties in the brand. She believes Coffee
does carry a status symbol, but it is just a traditional beverage for her. She can sit for 2-3
hrs in a café with good ambience, books, snacks. She would prefer a café on the campus
or a dedicated coffee place for coffee lovers as she is not satisfied with the Coffee offered
in the mess or existing canteens. She believes a café would add value to the campus given
that it is situated in the hill areas with greenery all around. She would love it if the café
had transparent walls and windows to enjoy the campus’s natural beauty with her Coffee.
She also likes dark chocolate, waffles, cakes with Coffee. She believes that in such a
stressful and competitive campus environment, a good place for coffee drinkers should
exist to relieve stress.

DI Guidelines:

1.Can you give me a brief introduction about yourself? Like your name, age, place your
are from, etc - Open end response

2. Do you call yourself a coffee lover or a coffeeholic? - Yes/No with reasoning

3. When did you start drinking coffee? - Age

4. How often do you drink coffee? - In numbers

5. What do you think is the ideal time to have coffee? - Specific time of the day

6. What is the amount of coffee intake in a day? - In number of cups

7. Do you prefer to have coffee at home or outside? - Home/Outside home with reason
8. For what reason would you drink coffee? - Open end response

9. Is there a difference in the amount of coffee intake during exam season and normal
days? - Yes/no with reasons

10. What is the price you are willing to pay for a normal cup of coffee? - In numbers

11. Would you be willing to pay higher prices for flavoured or other varieties of coffee? -
Yes/No

12. What is the most important aspect of coffee? (Price/taste/the way it is made, etc) -
Preference in order

13. Do you prefer a specific brand of coffee powder? - Open end response

14. Have you watched any ads of any coffee brand that has influenced your buying
decision? If so, which platform? - If yes, then what

15. Does brand value matter to you while selecting coffee? - Yes/No

16. Do you think coffee acts as a status symbol? - Yes/No

17. If you were to associate your experience with the brand of coffee that you use, with a
personality, what would it be? - Open end response

18. What is it that people generally look for in a café? - Open end

19. If a café were to open on campus what kind of ambiance would you want it to have?
Open end response

20. Do you think a campus requires a place that is dedicated to only selling coffee and its
types? - Yes/No with reason

21. What food or snacks do you think pairs well with coffee? - Open end response

22. Okay now lets play a small game. I’ll give you two options. All you have to do select
your preferred option without thinking much - Select one
 Hot or cold?

Sweet or bitter?

Filter or handmade?

Black or coffee with milk?

Flavoured or plain coffee?

23. Do you know the difference between espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte and
mocha? Open end response

24. Do you think you can survive on campus without coffee? - Yes/No

25. Is there anything you’d change about your current coffee habits? - If yes, then what

26. Is there anything that would act as a turnoff for your cup of coffee? - Open end
response

27. And your last question, do you think there’s any substitute for coffee? If yes, what
would you substitute it with? - Yes/No

FGD Guidelines:

1. Everyone please introduce yourself; name, age and place where you are from.
Open ended response

2. Do you call yourselves coffee lovers or coffeeholics?

Yes/No response

3. At what age did you start drinking coffee?

Quantitative response
4. How often do you drink coffee? (No. of coffee cups in a day)
Quantitative response

5. For what reason do you usually drink coffee?

Open ended response

6. What is the ideal time to drink coffee?

Open ended response

7. For people on campus what would y’all prefer? Going and buying a cup of coffee or
making it yourself?
This or that response

8. What is the price you are willing to pay for a normal cup of hot coffee?
Quantitative response

9. We also have different varieties of coffee such as cold coffee, cappuccino, chocolate
coffee etc. Would you be willing to pay higher prices?
Yes/No response

10. What is the most important aspect in a coffee? Is it price, taste, the distance to the cafe,
convenience, etc?
Prioritizing the given options

11. Do yall have a specific brand of coffee that you purchase?

Open ended response

12. Have you watched any ads of any coffee brand that has influenced your buying decision?
If so, one which platform?

Yes/no response with explanation

13. We all know that Nescafe and Bru and two close competitors. If you have tasted both the
brands do you find a difference in its taste or is it all the same to you?
Yes/No response

14. Do you think the campus requires a place dedicated to selling coffee and its varieties?
Yes/No response

15. What food do you think pairs well with coffee?

Open ended question

16. Okay now lets play a small game. I’ll give you two options. All you have to do select
your preferred option without thinking much
Hot or cold?
Sweet or bitter?
Filter or handmade?
Black or coffee with milk?
Flavoured or plain coffee?

17. Do you know the difference between espresso, cappuccino, americano, mocha and latte?
Yes/No response

18. Is there anything that y’all would like to change about your current coffee habits?
Open ended response

19. Do you think there is any other substitute for coffee? If yes, what would you substitute it
with?
Open ended response

20. Any closing remarks y’all would like to make?

Open ended response